Anatomically-articulated artificial teeth and method of producing same



Mar. 3, r1925.

v J. G. HOLLINGSWORTH ANATOMICALLY ARTICULATED ARTIFICIAL TEETH AND METHOD 0F lPRODUCING: vSAME Filed Jan. 12,192;

Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

' @Heee HQPLiuGSWOeTe; 0.11 KANSesCP-PY? Missoula Aplliwatmn.,fiieiliiaipiary12,.i923..v semaine; 612,231. Y

To all @hom t may concern:

Beiit' lgnown thartgl, JEPTHA-G. HOILINGS- Wellman, citizen ci'.y the United:States,l and residentf ofgKanSastGity, county. of. Jackson, Stateo Missouri7` hayeinvented. a. certain new and? useful Improvement in.- Alle:

toincallynrticulated Artificial.l Teeth Aand' Metlledsof Producing-Same, ofwvhich.r the tollem/11g:tisl .a Complete. specxcatn.

This invention relates to prosthetliieaden;

tstry" and* the MOAbQCS are .tocproducei a factoryunit, an .anatomicallytarticulated.:set

` ofupperand-lower artiealcteeth.asanew article/ot, manufacture, Y`vandfto.. evolve a method. or process-ofiproducingsuch article.

Aft., the present itimejsetscof A.artificial ,teeth are vvmarketed unden .identifying symbols y or nanleabut fariaslamawardit has never heretofore been proposed to. .-place .upper..and lower setseoiteeth secured. as .a unit, .in an.- atomically articulatedfrelation, inthe hands of ,1 the jobben land dentisti as. a, factory. prod? uct, andthusJ enablethendentist to .render efficient, ,rapid-,and most satisfactory service to, .a patient, `withoutmthe delay.. and. yexpense incidentate recourse to a ,'prosthetist: or to the old, slow, method of establi'shingv proper. arT ticulation-.by individual.;l adjustnfientl of the teetli..I

lV'rth ithe4 obj ect intentioned; inwiew, the `in- .ventiofn.consists` in -:`ertain.novel1 and. useful features of construction and combinationsof parts las hereinafter-edescribed: and claimed, andrin order .that yit may beulrly. understood, referenoeisy tofbehad 4to.J theL accompanying drawingsnimwhichzn Figurel is a perspective View of-a master patternofa fullsetfv of upper. and. lower articial,teetli. properly articulated;

. Figure 2- is a hoizontalsectiqn of..v the same in conjunetionwitln-a holderA cast or molded upon'suoh. teeth, andiadapted .to be c used like a printerls. stickf'orsettin @up corresponding.teethf improperly .artcu ated relation; Y p

Figure.' 31.' is. aA .verticaL section` taken thiouglnthe fzholder.f ror-stick?f on. the line VWaiied in the"ho'lder.` or fstick atene vside .of the median line thereo f.;

Figure 4 is a sideelevationofacomplete set ofup enand ,lower4 teeth as anew article of-.manu acture, the sarnebeing produced Ain such. relationl.

A st-ick??l andi. thenA reflected therefrom;

' Figure 5 isa. horizontal sectie onthe'line Figure 6 is an enlarged. vertcalzsection takenion theilfneNIefViI; ofilfiguret and Figures?Y is ablanletob'e.folde.d to ,serye as alreinorceplatebrstiiieneiaofthe prod uct, constit-utingJ4 a new. article of; manufac;l ture.v v

Referring; ,first to the article ,or prod-uct to .begy carried.V in" stock by" dental; depots job,-

berssfor-iretail to.dentstsarlfandlteepee; i'

ti vely 4indicate, upper-,.andilower.setsi-of ,fteeth arranged;v in proper.. anatomical anda articulated relation, and indicates `relatively Vhard Wax or the, like,l secnringctheiteeth;.in

formed by ,.and. between.. the :teeth v andel 'c or; respondingiin contour substantially to such arch, is a reinforce ,plate oixstiffener. 4, the Wax 3.011 the, like, beinginterlocled;with

Eitting ,1. Within, the.. arch l said. plate in anysuitable manner, preferably f by. providing .the :pl ate; W'itlimarginal yflanges 5f, embedded in the ivan. fas shown' clearly, by Fzigmge, 6. The.' plate( is.4 preferably of .doub'l'edcy or i.' vfolded type c so ,that the.; lfangies projeet-.bothznpwadly andfdoxvnwardlyg, and is,.preferably` .produce d @from a substanti ally elliptical.l blank.. flanged; a.ti its l. Guten edge yand -:then folded on. lthe...` dotted line a, see "Figui-e7). 7 'f y As the useeby.. the. dentist; contemplates the readycseparationoftheupper smdilowcr .sets .of teeth .prepa1atory. t0 vuleanizing 0r otherwise securing.` them i. to the. .customary final mouth plate s,fn.ot shown, it is. .desirable in produein n onthelike, iarowm coming in .eontactxvith the setsbfeteethzat onclose to tl'tegbitingedges thereof, andto accomplish this, .compressible Wax Q01' the: like is ,applied tothel'anged edge of: the. reinforceg pflate vto `hold.` a strip of .ti'nfoil `7 or other suitable material pressed against., the two sets of..teetl1ilin bridging relationto` their meet-ingorigcutting edges, the plate. and.- stripL of ftinliovil or the like, 'being fr the product, 'to...pr'even.tl Wax o fitted in operative position vwithrelationto .e

'applied'to bind orsecure the plate Yand-)hence 3, 'applied` on and between-the upper parts of the upper teeth and the lower parts of the lower teeth, may be applied to hold the teeth against disarrangement while the plate and tinfoil is being fitted in place., The remainder of the wax 3, i. e., the major por tion thereof is then applied to adhere to the teeth or to the first portion of such wax applied, and to interlock with the plate to cooperate therewith in retaining the tinfoil in place. The wax 3 will be of such character that it will not soften under ordinary natural heat of summer, and hence will guard against slippage or disarrangement of the teeth under ordinary conditions, or handling, but will readily yield to paring by a knife and can be instantly cut with a heated knife or tool.

As to the method of accurately disposing the sets of teeth in anatomical and Varticulated relation, and then securing them in such relation so that they can be shipped as a factory product of the character above described, reference is tobe had to what I term the holder or stick This is in the form of two cast or molded segments 8?-8, fitted together endwise to conjointly form an arch, provided internally with cavities 9 for the reception of specified upper and lower sets of teeth, which teeth are fitted in their respective cavities by hand, small pieces of dental waX eventually forming part of wax 3, being applied between adjacent upper teeth and adjacent lower teeth to insure the retention thereof until both full sets have been secured, after which the new article is completed as hereinbefore eX- plained. The holder or stick is then detached, and to accomplish this easily and without applying force tending to distort the product or article, the two sections of the holder or stick are mounted on the free end of separable arms 10 of a metal handle, the two arms being normally clamped together by a slidable keeper 11. The handle has a cross head 12 of sufficient area when placed on a bench, to support the holder o-r stick in inverted position to facilitate the assembly and retention of the front teeth and incisors in the proper cavities 9. For conveniently positioning the holder or stick for the placement of the molars in their respective cavities, the sides of the segments are flat so that such sides and the corresponding ends of the cross head may rest upon the upper side of the bench. In Figure 2, the dotted lines X are assumed to be the top of the bench accordingly as the flat side of one segment and the corresponding end of the cross head are engaging the bench, to support the corresponding molars in place until waxed in place. The holder or stick is then reversed to facilitate the placement of the other molars, these operations of course being followed by the completion of the article or product as it ap- Lsealesi Y Y e pears in Figures 4; to 6, inclusive. The keeper is then slid toward the cross head to permit the free ends of the handle to move out-ward and withdraw the segments from engagement with the teeth.

The holder or stick is for use in a factory, and enables one entirely ignorant of the art of dental articulation, to anatomically articulate sets of teeth as perfectly and far more economically and quickly than it is possible for a prosthetist to accomplish the same purpose in the conventional manner.

The segmental holder or stick is scientifically perfect and is produced by molding or casting it from an anatomically perfect master pattern 13 made by a skilled prosthetist or dentist, it being understood that there will be a master pattern Vfor each of the many differently identified sets of teeth necessary to meet the requirements of practice.

The construction of the commercial product, the method followed in producing it, the construction of the holder or stick and its use, having been described, reference is now made to the method by which the article or product is handled by the dentist, who, after applying soft waX 14 or the like, to trial plates 15 and 16, fits the latter, produced in the usual manner, into the jaws of the patient or alsuitable articulator.

The article or product is then inserted in the patients mouth or the articulator as the case may be, and adjusted as a. unit to a position which the dentist deems most satisfactory from the standpoint o-f utility and l therein o-f the teeth and of adhesive character to insure a firm union of the teeth with the trial plates.

The jaws are then opened to permit of the removal of the trial plates and the ar ticle as a unit. as a heated knife (not-shown) is then employed to cut through the waX 3 on the dotted lines y and e. This result accomplished, the reinforce plate and the tinfoil (or the cent-ral pfart of the latter) are removed, leaving the upper and lower sets of teeth and their respective trial plates in disconnected and separable condition.

The teeth thus affixed to their respective trial plates are then waxed up and "f1asked by the method now customary, and when finally secured on the permanent mouth plates, the teeth in the mouth of the Any suitable means, such q i U never been individually moved or adjusted.

From the above description it will thus be apparent that I have produced a device embodying the features or advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the object of the invention, and while I have illustrated and described the preferred form or embodiment of the invention, it ywill be apparent that it is susceptible o-f modification in minor particulars without departing from the principle of construction or mode of operation involved.

I claim: f

l. As a new article of manufacture, a set of upper and lower teeth, means aiiiXed to the teeth and holding both sets as a unit, in anatomical and occluded relation, and means bridging the biting edges of both sets of teeth and interposed between the teeth and the first-named means.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a set of upper and lower teeth, means affixed to both sets of teeth and holding themas a unit, in anatomical and occluded relation, and a plate within the arch of the teeth and interlooked with the said means as a stiffener therefor.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a set of upper and lower teeth, means aiXed to both sets of teeth and holding them as a unit in anatomical and occluded relation, means bridging the biting edges of both sets of teeth and Vinterposed between them land the first-named means, and a plate within the arch of the teeth and interlocked with said first-named means as a stiifener'therefor.

4. As a new article of manufacture a set of upper and lower teeth, a material susceptible of being melted, afiXed to both sets of teeth to retain them as a unit, in anatomical and occluded relation, and means bridging the biting edges of both sets of teeth and interposed between the teeth and the firstnamed means.

5. As a new article of manufacture a set of upper and lower teeth, a material susceptible of being melted, aHiXed to both sets of teeth to retain them as a unit, in anatomical and occluded relation, and a plate within the arch of theteeth and interlocked with the said means as a stiffener therefor.v

6. As a new article of manufacture a set `of upper and lower teeth', a material susceptible of being melted, affixed toboth sets of teeth to retain them as a unit, in anatomical and occluded relation, a stiifener plate within the arch of the teeth and interlocked with said material, and a flexible strip secured to the said material and plate and interposed between them and ythe teeth at the biting edges of the latter.

7. The method of producing a set of upf per and lower teeth held as a unit in anatomical and occluded relation, the same `consisting in vforming from a master patinterlocking a stiiiener plate with the wax, l

and in interposing a flexible strip between the wax and plate and the teeth at the biting edges thereof.

9. In a method of producing as a unit sets of upper and lower teeth in anatomical and occluded relation, a holder or stick for both sets ofteeth, comprisingtwo separable segments abutted together at the median line of the sets of teeth, and provided at their inner sides with communicating upper and lower teeth cavities for the reception of the respective teeth at the buccal facesv thereof.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a

pair of arcuate plates arranged and secured flatwise together, and a set of upper and lower teeth having their biting edges in articulated and occluded relation, both the upper and lower teeth being respectively secured as a unit to one of said plates. v

In witness whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

JEPTHA e. HOLLINGSWORTH. 

